Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art

What Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art does

The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art is a community-built, artist-run non-profit organization and registered charity operating in Kelowna, British Columbia since 1989, legally constituted as the Okanagan Artists Alternative Association. It operates two physical exhibition spaces — an 852-square-foot Main Gallery and a 396-square-foot Project Gallery — selected through annual open-call submissions reviewed by a volunteer programming committee, with priority given to experimental practices and under-represented artists. Supporting services include exhibition essays, photo documentation, travel/accommodation assistance, letters of support, and access to gallery equipment (plinths, projectors, media players, moveable walls).

The organization serves four primary constituencies: artists at all career stages seeking professional exhibition opportunities, the general public and community members engaging with contemporary art, under-represented artists from Indigenous, Black, racialized, LGBTQ+, newcomer, and other marginalized communities, and arts students seeking practical training. Its go-to-market is community- and event-led, driven by open-call submissions, exhibitions, Alternator Chats video programming, and newsletter outreach rather than traditional commercial channels.

The business model is a hybrid of recurring membership fees ($35-$150 annually across Individual, Senior/Student, Family, and Organization tiers), one-time and recurring donations (including Pay It Forward and Vanguard Alliance programs), ticketed event revenue, and a volunteer-exchange membership pathway. As the longest-running artist-run centre in interior BC and one of over 180 nationwide, the Alternator operates with five staff and a volunteer board, with no parent company, no disclosed funding rounds, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art

Legal name

Okanagan Artists Alternative Association

Website

https://alternatorcentre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art is a community-built, artist-run non-profit gallery in Kelowna, BC, operating since 1989 as the longest-running artist-run centre in interior British Columbia, providing professional exhibition opportunities, membership programs, and community programming for artists at all career stages.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Gallery Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (712110)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts & Crafts Workshops (Painting, Pottery, Ceramics, Sculpture) (THAJAKAA), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD)

Keywords

• Contemporary art exhibitions
• Artist-run centre
• Community arts programming
• Gallery exhibition space
• Arts nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fees ranging from $35-$150 depending on category (Individual, Senior/Student, Family, Organization). Members receive exhibition opportunities, event discounts, voting privileges, and facility access.
2. Donations: Financial contributions through one-time and recurring monthly/yearly donations. Supports artist development, public programming, and cultural vibrancy of the region.
3. Charitable Contributions: As a registered charity, the organization accepts charitable donations and offers various giving programs including Pay It Forward and Vanguard Alliance.
4. Event Revenue: Revenue from ticketed events including workshops and performances, with member discounts available.
5. Volunteer Exchange: Volunteers contributing 12+ hours receive complimentary membership, providing operational support in exchange for membership benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art is a community-built, artist-run non-profit and registered charity that provides professional exhibition opportunities and community arts programming. It operates two physical gallery spaces (an 852-square-foot Main Gallery and a 396-square-foot Project Gallery) selected through annual open-call submissions, alongside a tiered membership program, ticketed events, workshops, performances, and an online essay archive. The organization supports individual artists — particularly under-represented and experimental practitioners — with CAR/FAC exhibition fees, production assistance, photo documentation, and travel or childcare subsidies.

Product overview

The Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art operates as a single unified offering—a community-built, artist-run non-profit organization providing professional exhibition spaces and programs for artists. The core product portfolio includes the Main Gallery (852 sq ft) and Project Gallery (396 sq ft), two professional exhibition spaces selected through annual open-call submissions. Supporting offerings include the Membership Program with tiered access (Individual, Senior/Student, Family, Organization), Exhibition Essays written in response to shows, Gallery Floor Plans for artist planning, and Donation Programs. The organization does not operate a platform-plus-modules architecture; instead, it provides a cohesive set of gallery services organized around professional exhibition opportunities, community programs, and artist development support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Main Gallery Exhibition Program An 852-square-foot professional gallery space used for early-career and established artists' experimental works, with exhibitions selected annually by a volunteer programming committee through open-call submissions. Artists receive CAR/FAC fees, staff installation assistance, exhibition essays, photo documentation, and travel or childcare subsidies.
• Project Gallery Exhibition Program A 396-square-foot single-work exhibition site suited for very early-career artists seeking their first professional exhibition opportunity, featuring media, small projects, installations, or work in progress. Selected annually through the open-call process alongside the Main Gallery.
• Membership Program Annual membership tiers providing artists and supporters with access to Members' Gallery exhibitions, exclusive events like The Assembly and ArtMart, reduced event admission, one-on-one staff consultations, voting privileges, and after-hours facility access. Tiers include Individual ($50), Senior/Student ($35), Family ($90), Organization ($150), and Volunteer Membership earned through 12+ hours of service.
• Exhibition Essays Interpretive essays responding to Main Gallery exhibitions, available in formats including formal essays, Q&As with artists, interpretive responses, and other creative writing pieces, authored by a roster of contributing writers and available in an online archive.
• Donation Programs Charitable giving programs accepting one-time and recurring monthly/yearly financial contributions to support artist careers, public programming, and regional cultural vibrancy. Includes Pay It Forward and Vanguard Alliance giving levels, with charitable tax receipts issued under registered charity status.

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Norah BowmanminorOthers · 1 January 2024Writer who generously donated an interpretive essay on Erin Scott's exhibition '9/3', contributing to the Alternator's essay series.
• Kinfolk NationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021BIPOC arts collective founded by Trophy Ewila and Lady Dia, organizing community events at the Alternator including the Abaantu Series. Guided by Ubuntu philosophy emphasizing community connection and diversity.
• Similkameen Artist Residency (SAR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Artist-run residency program in Keremeos, BC. The Alternator exhibited 'The Guest Book' featuring work from SAR artists in 2025, supporting artists with tranquil, affordable, and supportive environment for artistic exploration.
• UBCO (University of British Columbia Okanagan)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Academic partnership through the AlterKnowledge Series (2012-2018), led by UBCO professors David Jefferess and Allison Hargreaves. The series provided venues for alternative knowledge sharing and critical engagement with colonialism. Ongoing mentorship of students and engagement with the academic community.
• Kama? Creative Aboriginal Arts CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Indigenous-led arts collective that mentors and supports Indigenous artists. Sheldon Pierre Louis serves as lead visual artist. The collective creates space for Indigenous art and culture in the Okanagan region, maintaining autonomy while partnering with institutions.
• Community Equipment LendersminorOthersCommunity partners who kindly loan equipment to the Alternator on occasion for exhibitions, supplementing the center's own supplies including plinths, TVs, media players, and projector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery: Major Canadian contemporary art gallery in Toronto with a focus on international and Canadian contemporary art; comparable in curatorial approach and audience engagement model but with significantly greater resources.
• The Polygon Gallery: Large contemporary photography and new media-focused gallery in North Vancouver; comparable as a BC non-profit presenting contemporary visual art but at a substantially larger scale than Alternator.
• Art Gallery of Greater Victoria: Regional public art gallery serving Vancouver Island with contemporary and historical exhibitions; comparable as a non-profit BC exhibition venue but with permanent collection and broader mandate.

Direct peers

• Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art: Artist-run centre in Winnipeg presenting contemporary art, publishing, and editions; directly comparable as a non-profit artist-run space with curatorial programming, artist support services, and similar organizational scale.
• Hamilton Artists Inc. Long-running artist-run centre in Hamilton, Ontario with member-driven exhibitions and contemporary programming; highly comparable as a Canadian artist-run centre with similar membership, volunteer, and open-call structure.
• Surrey Art Gallery: Public contemporary art gallery in Surrey, BC exhibiting regional artists with educational programming and community focus; comparable as a BC-based contemporary exhibition space serving artists and broader public.
• Charles H. Scott Gallery (Emily Carr University): University-affiliated contemporary art gallery in Vancouver exhibiting experimental and emerging artists; comparable in curatorial approach (open-call, experimental focus) and target audience (emerging/early-career artists).
• grunt gallery: Vancouver-based artist-run centre presenting contemporary art with focus on Indigenous, queer, and diasporic artists; closely matches Alternator's mission, scale, and open-call programming model.
• Contemporary Art Gallery, Vancouver: Non-profit artist-run contemporary art gallery in Vancouver exhibiting Canadian and international artists; comparable to Alternator as a non-commercial exhibition space with programming committee selection and member-supported model.

Regional players

• MacLaren Art Centre: Public art gallery in Barrie, Ontario serving a similar mid-size regional city demographic as the Alternator; comparable as a non-profit regional gallery offering contemporary exhibitions and educational programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@the_alternator_
• Facebookfacebook.com/AlternatorArt
• Instagraminstagram.com/the_alternator
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/alternator-centre-for-contemporary-art

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art